A Review on Biological and Chemical Properties of Cyperus Species

Cyperus species are monocotyledonous, perennial, potent, multipurpose medicinal plants which belongs to Cyperaceae family. These are commonly known as nagarmotha, nut grass, umbrella sedges and sweet sedges. The leaves, roots and tubers of these whole plant species are used in astringent, diuretic, diaphoretic, cordial, brodycardiac properties and used to treat more diseases therapeutically. The steam distillation of essential oil extracted from rhizomes of these species used in anti-inflammatory diseases. Our present study in this review encompasses on biological and chemical properties of Cyperus species. Complete information regarding these plant species has been collected from various books and journals since the last 30 years, internet databases etc were also searched. This compiled data reflects the therapeutic properties of these herbs. This review article helpful for researchers to focus on natural plant products to find out new therapeutically important compounds responsible for its claimed traditional importance. Several therapeutically important natural compounds have been isolated from these herbs and they can serve as very potent and reliable drug candidate for treatment of various disorders. These compounds have indentified for its effectiveness against number of activities in in vitro and in vivo mechanisms.